I mean, specifically, what ever happened to the US bound shipment? All the news sources I can find are at best several months outdated and said the release was pushed back to June. I feel like I couldn't possibly have missed that. Does anyone have updates? I was really looking forward to trying grabbing one of those bricks.

The one distro they had backed down, I think the news at the time was there was only one other possible distro who could cover the task of sending it out nationwide, but they had cold feet. I think they resolved it in some way, but it means a delay. In any case, the package is going to cost 60$ or more. If you already brew, that's more than the cost of cloning it. Might as well just do that if you are anxious enough.

Interesting. Didn't realize there were disto problems. Although, a few months ago I heard it was pushed back from May to June, but I suppose it's been further delayed. And my homebrewing skills are modest at best. I'm happy to spend ~$85 on a 6 pack and 2 glasses. Wouldn't be the most expensive beer I've bought by a long shot and the value of having a few of the "Best Beer in the World" in my cellar vs. another thing I made in my garage is worth something, even if nothing greater than novelty.

Plus this beer is extremely complex and would be incredibly difficult for even the best homebrewer to clone. If you can't find this box set, just trade for it. You don't need anything very rare, just some good stuff.

I think you could get 3 or 4 in a trade. As far as trade bait goes, I think they are going to get less than the normal ones. I wouldn't trade for one from the box set, I would want the no label bottles. But that is just my sentiment, although, I have a feeling plenty of others will feel this way.

That is not to say I wouldn't buy the box set, I would just hold onto them myself and enjoy because I think the originals are worth more because of authenticity purposes.

Well, it's complex in the dimension of the specific yeast used and the mandatory aging the monks give the beer before it hits market. I've said previously that the reason some might choose this more highly over something even like St. Bernardus is simply because it sits on ass and ages before anyone gets to try it, whereas St. Bernardus can shift, sell, and be consumed relatively fresh -- even when making it's way to the US -- most have had Abt. 12 younger than the earliest bottle of Westy 12 can be sold and consumed.

These recipes are not complicated, and the harvested yeast is available through White Labs. You just need a very efficient starter, a way to mash all that grain, and a really well-controlled fermentation setup.

In any case, here is the clone in two different forms -- the second being very approximate to the way Westvleteren actually makes it, the first being close, but delivering richer flavor and being more presentable in taste sooner. As you can see in the second recipe it's very simple, very reminiscent of other simple Belgian beers, but relying heavily on Candi sugar.

I would reccomend anyone confident enough in their abilities to make a starter and good temperature control to brew it -- it's not that hard. Now, waiting around the three years or so people lay claim it gets it's real legs... that's the hard part.

I've been asking my local liquor store (Binny's Beverage Depot in Chicago, specifically Lakeview) for details, and all that they've been able to provide have been vague at best.

Given that Illinois fell into the Manneken-Brussels import territory, I figured I'd be at a loss, however, one guy confirmed that Shelton Brothers will be handling Illinois now (which leads me to believe they picked up the rest of the US as well). Other than that, they said Shelton Brothers hasn't given any further detail or any sense of timetable other than that they will be the distributor.

The other thing the guy alluded to is that the entire import is coming through Boston via boat, and that his expectation is that the majority of the bricks will get gobbled up along the east coast. He said he didn't expect to get any in, but if he's lucky he might get a few.

With respect to price, I've asked a number of stores around Chicago and the common response is anywhere between $60-$85, potentially more. I know that St. Sixtus slapped an $85 suggested retail price on it, but I expect it will fluctuate.

That could be. Westvleteren 12 is a Trappist beer brewed in Belgium and considered by many to be the best beer in the world. The monks there are not interested in profit, so they brew only as much as they need to maintain their monastery. As far as I know, it has never been sold in the US before, and this release was to be a special occasion so that they could expand repair (expand?) the monastery.

One is mass produced for profit. One is brewed in smaller batches to offset the cost of a monastery. They're priced accordingly. I'd love to take a blind taste test and see if I could tell the difference.

Add $1200 travel expense to Belgium, and suddenly that's 50 dollars a bottle haha. The $85 suggested retail value 6-pack still seems like my best bet. If, however, I happen to find myself in that part of the world for unrelated business, I will certainly try to stop by and get myself some reasonably priced Westy.